Minecraft film voluntarily put on Pirate Bay by producers

News that 2 Player Productions has officially debuted a documentary on the world of gaming this weekend on Microsoft's Xbox Live platform is no surprise, but before PlayStation or Nintendo Wii owners get upset that they may have no way to view, "Minecraft: The Story of Mojang," something a little strange needs to be considered.

By that, we mean that 2 Player Productions decided to go ahead and upload its film directly to The Pirate Bay, even though the intention is to ultimately intend to sell the film - which was released in the US on 23 December, presumably ahead of a wider rollout - as an $8 (£5), DRM-free stream or a $20 (£12.35) physical disc.

So why, then, would the producers ever want to release it for free on a file-sharing site?

"We wanted to come here first because we knew the movie would end up here eventually, and the best thing to do seemed to be opening a dialogue. Torrents and piracy are a way of life and it probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon. There are many people that want to punish you for that, but we have a more realistic outlook on things," a description accompanying the Minecraft film torrent reads.

"We've been there. We've all needed to do it at some point. Maybe you don't have the money. Maybe you want to try before you buy. Maybe you're pissed at us for premiering the movie on Xbox Live. These are all fine reasons. But if you feel that piracy is, in Gabe Newell's words, 'a service problem,' please consider that we are selling DRM free digital downloads that you can watch in whatever manner you please," it continued.

The 2.52GB film has nearly 3,000 seeds as of this article going live on 24 December. As a testament to 2 Player Productions' plan, however, reactions to the documentary being released as a downloadable torrent actually seem to be meeting the filmmakers' intent.

"Wow. You guys are awesome. I had a lot of respect for you before, but uploading your own production for torrent is just a new level. Just because of this, I will buy it. Well done on all your hard work; you deserve every penny no matter how good or bad this movie is," commented one member of The Pirate Bay community.

"Was going to use some of my visa gift card for the steam sale, but you guys just won eight of my dollars. Thank you," said another.

It remains to be seen just how long the film's "official" torrent will stay on The Pirate Bay or whether 2 Player Productions only intends to keep the torrent online for a brief period of time once sales go live.

According to The Verge, "Minecraft: The Story of Mojang" initially raised more than $210,000 (£129,710) as part of a Kickstarter campaign. Nevertheless, the three members of 2 Player Productions also say that they invested plenty of their own cash into the project to get it off the ground.